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FORTY-ONE
<h2 style="text-transform: uppercase">SARIEN</h2>
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Vines shot out of the ground where the council members and priests stood, running up along their legs and torsos. Men, women, and rhinn screamed in shock, their power faltering.
Even with the roar of magic all around them, Sarien heard the battle begin again as hordes of monsters set off running toward Fyrie.
A very young woman appeared in front of Sarien. Vines ran up the length of her body, sprouting new leaves.
She took one look at the scene and grabbed both Sarien’s and Ein’s hands with no regard for the outpouring of magic from them both. “We’re leaving now.”
“No!” Ein shouted, failing to pull free.
The world shifted around Sarien and he found himself standing near a shore with the sea spreading out as far as the eye could see in one direction and a valley of wilting groves of fruit trees in the other.
“Get away from her!” Sarien’s father forcefully pulled Sarien back to him.
“What’s going on?” Sarien asked, his vision blurry and mind muddled from the battle they’d just escaped.
“She’s Taera,” Ein spat.
Sarien’s head instantly cleared. “She’s on our side,” a familiar female voice called out.
“Welcome to Jordfaste, Sarien,” Emeryn said, holding out a cloth bag. “I’ve brought you something.”
He accepted the bag and opened it. He blinked, hardly believing what he was seeing. “Emeryn. So good to see you again.”
“What do you mean, she’s on our side? She’s a tyrant!” Ein barked, a flame bursting from one palm and darkness from the other. The flame flickered away as he hunched over and grabbed at his midsection.
“Father!” Sarien shouted, but Ein waved him away with a groan.
“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He breathed hard and then straightened.
“Look at this,” Sarien said, holding open the bag.
His father audibly gasped, wincing again from the wound in his side.
“Taera will aid us against her father. They all will if you release them,” Emeryn said.
“Why?” Ein asked, not taking his gaze off Taera.
The Halvgud of Chaos, who’d ruled over The Kinship for so many years, folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “Let’s just say the geomancer makes a good argument.”
“If the Prime enters fully into Maydian, all will be lost. The realm will collapse upon itself,” Sarien said. Taera’s eyes widened and the vines around her shoulders quaked, but she made no comment.
Tomford stepped past a crowd of onlookers, a grinning Wade by his side and Freyn behind the two men. Sarien thought he saw a soft glow around the tall Vatner. He was suddenly overcome with a chill as his injuries healed.
Ein grunted. “Give me some warning next time, healer.”
Tomford frowned, “There’s something else.” He reached for Sarien’s father, who stepped away.
“I’m fine, thank you, boy.”
“Fine, are you? Old bastard.”
Sarien looked up to find Heradion sitting on a large boulder. “Heradion!”
“You were supposed to keep an eye on Taera,” Ein said, pointing accusingly to the Halvgud.
Heradion pointed at her. “And there she is.”
Sarien hefted the bag. “It’s amazing to see you all again, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time. The final assault is already underway. We must return. Emeryn, can the growers fight?”
“To an extent, but they are more suited for other tasks.”
A woman a few years Emeryn’s junior separated herself from the crowd. “We can fight! Don’t listen to my sister. She’s just trying to keep us out of harm’s way!”
“I’ll need to talk with Taera’s,” Sarien coughed, “siblings. Then, I’ll find a way for all of us to go to Fyrie.”
Heradion slid down the boulder. “I’ll join you.”
“You might need my assistance in reasoning with them,” Taera said, stepping up.
Sarien’s father shuffled after without a word.
“We’ll prepare everyone for the battle ahead,” Emeryn said.
“Please do,” Sarien said.
Moving away from the crowd, Sarien found an empty spot and dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground. Three cubes, about the size of his closed fist, unceremoniously tumbled out.
Sarien seated himself on the ground beside them, and Taera sat down opposite, while his father and Heradion spoke in hushed whispers a few paces to the side.
“You are of Order,” Taera said. It was not a question.
He picked up one of the cubes at random. “I am, and you are of Chaos. Why help us?”
“An eternity of enslavement to keep the cage around our Prime did not inspire much faith in Order’s progeny. Those who freed us were but a pale imitation of what they’d once been. They pleaded with us for help.”
“Help?”
“In harnessing Chaos for themselves. Such pitiful creatures, blind to the Spawn’s machinations. We fled and came to your land, rather than risk detection from the Prime once he inevitably broke free. A Prime touching the pathway between worlds is not unheard of, but never a world itself. We never thought someone would be foolish enough to attempt what the Wayfarers are doing now. It is a fight for survival for us, just as it is for you.”
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“Survival,” he agreed. They had the same goal.
Taera eyed the gray flame in the palm of Sarien’s hand with equal parts fear and fascination. A very slight tugging in his chest tempted Sarien to touch her power. He sensed an ocean of strength in her link to the wayfaring. Next to it was her connection to Chaos. Everything else around them paled in comparison.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“The gray flame allows me to siphon power from both Wayfarers and Slayers,” he looked at her directly, “and many other beings.”
The sense that he could pull power from her immediately dimmed. “Don’t press your luck, little Eldian. Even your ancestors could not take from us if we forbade it. Do you know how many of your kind fell when they first took me and my siblings? Many.”
Despite her words, Sarien still felt the tugging. It was much fainter now that she shielded it from him, but perhaps if he used more force…
He shook his head to clear it. “I apologize. All this is very new to me.”
“How reassuring,” she mocked. “Now release them. They will see reason.”
The fervor of her words gave him pause, but only for a moment. They needed all the help they could get, and he’d take the risk willingly. Four Halvgudar on their side could make all the difference in the fight ahead. After all, it was likely that Qieza had more tricks up his sleeve.
“Which one is Eld?” Sarien asked.
The vine looping around Taera’s arm grew and extended itself past her hand to the leftmost cube, picking it up. “This one.”
Sarien put the one he was holding back on the ground and grabbed Eld’s with his free hand. He reached inside it with his gray flame.
<i>Hello?</i>
The void remained silent.
<i>I will allow you to leave this place if you agree to help us.</i>
More silence.
<i>The Prime of Chaos is attempting to gain access to Maydian with the help of a group of Wayfarers and the priests of Wyndemir from Rhinerien.</i>
Nothing.
“Tell him that I am here and have already agreed,” Taera said. She could not listen in to what Sarien was saying, but must have seen the frustration on his face.
<i>Taera is here, and she has agreed to help us. I extend the same offer to you and your other siblings.</i>
At first, there were no signs of life in the deep nothingness, but then a voice boomed out.
<i>CHAOS WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO FULLY PASS INTO THIS REALM.</i>
Hearing the voice of the being he once thought of as god sent a shudder down Sarien’s back and his immediate reflex was to drop the cube and run. But he held on.
<i>A gateway is being forced open. The priests are behind this, but I do not know why.</i>
RELEASE ME AND SEE THE FALSE WORSHIPPERS TURNED TO ASH.
Sarien glanced at Taera, who nodded, then to his father and Heradion, who both stood watching, intently. The old man grinned and gave a thumbs up. Ein only scowled.
Breathing in through his nose and then letting it flow out in a slow and steady stream, Sarien used his gray flame to manipulate the void prison, crumbling its walls. In the last moment, he remembered the effect of opening a prison in the real world, and quickly directed the surge of energy away from the people of Jordfaste and toward the grove of trees.
The surge of power released was beyond anything Sarien had ever experienced. A wave pulsed outward, growing wider and taller by the second as it decimated everything in its path. The shockwave flattened everyone. People helplessly covered their ears at the following clap of thunder.
Dirt flew into the air and by the time the air cleared, the land before them was forever changed. Not a single tree remained standing. They were splintered and laid in smoldering piles. The ground was pocketed and darkened, as if having come in contact with incredible heat.
It did not appear if anything would grow here again. The land was dead. “You did the right thing,” Taera said.
Ein stormed up to them. “Where is he? Where is Eld?”
The Halvgud rose to her feet. “You are the one who somehow brought my sibling to his knees. You alone know where he has once again risen.”
Sarien’s father swallowed hard. “Fyrie. We buried him inside the capital.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’re the best of pals now,” Heradion said.
“Now the others,” Taera said, pointing to the remaining two cubes.
“Anea?” Sarien asked, and Taera brought forth the cube closest to her. He wondered how she knew.
“Releasing Eld set the ground on fire. I’ll have to be careful we’re not carried away by the wind,” Sarien said, delving into the cube.
“My three siblings are not actually linked with the Elemental flow. It’s just Eld who’s always had a fascination with burning all things.”
<i>Hello?</i>
<i>ONCE I AM FREE ALL WHO ROAM THIS LAND WILL KNOW MY FURY</i>
<i>Anea?</i>
<i>DROWN THEIR CHILDREN TEAR APART THEIR MOTHERS.</i>
<i>Work with us and I will release you. You will hurt no innocents.</i>
<i>REND THEIR FLESH MARK THEIR BACKS.</i>
<i>Anea!</i>
<i>CRIPPLE THEIR SONS FEAST ON THEIR BLOOD.</i>
Sarien looked up at Taera. “I can’t reach Anea. She’s insane.”
“Mention my name.”
<i>Anea, I have Taera here with me. Calm yourself.</i>
<i>CONSUME THEIR FEAR HARNESS THEIR POWER.</i>
“Nothing,” Sarien said, shuddering. The Halvgud’s words were bad enough, but the intent behind them radiated through the void. This was no mere act. It was the core of her essence. “I can’t free her. She’s too far gone.”
Taera’s face darkened as she studied his face for a moment, then she sighed and nodded. “Very well. I can understand your apprehension. My dear sister was always a little unhinged.”
The people of Loft likely agreed with Taera’s assessment.
Taera reached for Anea’s cube, but Sarien pulled his hand away, then dropped it back into the sack. “I’ll keep this for now.” Before she could protest, Sarien brought his gray flame to Ocea cube, delving into it.
<i>IS IT TIME?</i>
<i>Hello?</i>
<i>WHO ARE YOU TO SO RUDELY INTERRUPT MY FORCED PENANCE?</i>
<i>My name is Sarien Wald. I have a proposition for you.</i>
<i>HOW CAN I HELP?</i>
<i>The Prime of Chaos is attempting to reach Maydian in his physical form. We need your help to stop him.</i>
The presence in the void shuddered and Sarien thought he recognized it as fear, so he kept talking.
<i>Taera and Eld have already agreed to join our cause. Once the danger has passed, you will leave Maydian and never return.</i>
<i>IT IS DOOM TO STAND AGAINST A PRIME, CHAOS MOST OF ALL, BUT I WILL HELP YOU BELOVED LITTLE PERSON. OCEA ONLY CARRIES LOVE FOR YOU IN HER HEART.</i>
Her sweet words made him more uncomfortable than the raging madness of Anea, but he didn’t have the time to second guess his decision.
<i>You will be needed in Fyrie. Do not kill or even hurt the ones standing up against the horde.</i>
<i>I WOULD NOT THINK OF IT.</i>
Sarien released Ocea, carefully pointing the blast toward the sky. It was even more powerful than the one from Eld and carried high in the sky, swirling the clouds. It began to drizzle.
The cube crumbled to dust in Sarien’s hands.
“It’s done.”
Taera got to her feet, keeping her eye on Ein and Heradion. “You imprisoned my siblings after a brief taste of freedom. They’ll never forget that.”
“You lot oppressed, broke, and controlled everyone on this continent. Your rule was the worst thing to ever have happened to these people,” Ein said, speaking through gritted teeth, his fists clenching and unclenching. “You deserve far worse than what you got. Especially you, Taera. Eld might have burned people alive, and Ocea played with her Vatners for sport, but you are still far worse than either of them.”
“If the Prime was not almost upon us, Ein, I’d tear you apart myself.”
“See how that worked out for the rest of your ilk?”
Sarien stepped in between them. “We don’t have time for this now. Taera, can you lend me your connection to the wayfaring so I can send everyone to Fyrie?”
“I’m not a source of power for you to leech upon,” she sneered, then the Halvgud relented. “Don’t draw too much.”
“I won’t take an ounce more than what is strictly necessary,” Sarien said, turning to walk over to the waiting growers, Freyn, Wade, Tomford, and Emeryn. “It’s time. Ready yourselves.”